Dakshina (January 1978)

Most of the religious functions of the Hindus are conducted by the priests. It is customary to request the priest before the function to furnish a list of all the materials required for the function. Throughout the function, all persons will be acting according to the instructions of the priest. In the end, the function will end after giving Dakshina to the priest. The people of all other castes have some work or the other for earning their livelihood; but the priests have no other work except conducting religious functions. They are required to be paid something for their subsistence and this is paid to them in the form of Dakshina. Once upon a time when the people were religious minded and when they used to perform religious functions, the priests used to get enough money to maintain their family; but of late people do not perform many religious functions; with the result that the priestly class does not get sufficient Dakshina to maintain themselves. This class is therefore on the point of vanishing from the society. This is not the state of affairs only among the Hindus. The priests in the Parsee community are also disappearing because of the meagre amount that they get for performing religious functions.

Though Dakshina has got this origin, we read in Sai Satcharita a constant reference to Dakshina, which was offered to Shri Sai Baba or which was asked for by Him from the devotees. The origin of this Dakshina is different from that which is offered to the priest for conducting a religious function. In Sanskrit there is saying

which means that we should not go to a king, a God or a Guru empty-handed. Shri Sai Baba was considered as a Devata by some devotees, while many others considered Him to be their Guru. Hence in either capacity the people could not go to Him empty-handed. Many people therefore started taking something with them and offering it to Shri Baba; but when some others came to him empty-handed, He started asking them to give Dakshina to Him.

As this system of asking for Dakshina is likely to create some misunderstanding in the minds of the devotees and other people, this question is dealt with separately by Shri Dabholkar under the heading "Dakshina Mimansa" as follows —

Dakshina-Mimansa

Now we shall close this chapter with a few remarks about Dakshina. It is a well-known fact that Baba always asked for Dakshina from people who went to see Him. Somebody may ask a question, 'If Baba was a Fakir and perfectly non-attached, why should He ask for Dakshina and care for money?' We shall consider this question broadly now.

First for a long time, Baba did not take any thing. He stored burnt matches and filled his pocket with them He never asked anything from anybody - whether he be a devotee or otherwise. If anybody placed before Him a pice or two, He purchased oil or tobacco. He was fond of tobacco, for He always smoked a bidi or chilim (an earthen pipe). Then some persons thought that they could not see the saints empty-handed and they, therefore, placed some copper coins before Baba. If a pice was placed before Him, He used to pocket it; if it was a two-pice coin, it was returned immediately. Then after Baba's fame had spread far and wide, people began to flock in numbers and Baba began to ask Dakshina from them. It is said in the Shruti (Veda) that pooja of the Gods is not complete unless a golden coin was offered. If a coin was necessary in the pooja of the Gods, why should it be not so in the pooja of the saints also ? Ultimately the Shastras laid it down that when one goes to see God, king, saint or guru, he should not go empty-handed. He should offer something, preferably coin or money.

In this connection we may notice the precepts recommended by the Upanishads. The Brihadaranyak Upanishad says that the Lord Prajapati advisee the Gods, men and demons by one letter "Da". The Gods understood by this letter that they should practise (1) ''Dama" i.e. self-control; the men, that they should practise (2) "Dana" i.e., charity; the demons understood that they should practise (3) "Daya" i e. compassion. To men charity or giving was recommended. The teacher in the Taittiriya Upanishad exhorts his pupils to practise charity and other virtues. Regarding charity he says, "Give with faith, or even without it; give with magnanimity, i.e. liberally, give with modesty, with awe and with sympathy. In order to teach the devotees the lessons of charity and to remove their attachment to money and thus to purify their minds, Baba extracted Dakshina from them; but there was this peculiarity, as Baba said, that He had to give back hundred times more of what He received. There are many instances in which this has happened. To quote an instance, Mr. Ganpatrao Bodas, the famous actor, says in his Marathi autobiography that on Baba's pressing him often and often for Dakshina, he emptied his money-bag before Him. The result of this was, as Mr. Bodas says, that in later life he never lacked money as it came to him abundantly.

There were also secondary meanings of Dakshina in many cases, in which Baba did not want any pecuniary amount. To quote two instances-( 1) Baba asked Rs. 15/- as Dakshina from Pro. G. G. Narke who replied that he did not have even a pie. Then Baba said, "I know you have no money; but you are reading Yoga-Vashistha. Give me Dakshina from that." Giving Dakshina in this case meant - 'Deriving lessons from the book and lodging them in the heart where Baba resides.' (2) In the second case Baba asked a certain lady (Mrs. R. A. Tarkhad) to give Rs 6/- as Dakshina. The lady felt pained as she had nothing to give. Then her husband explained to her that Baba wanted six inner enemies (Lust, anger, avarice etc.) to be surrendered to Him. Baba agreed with this explanation.

It is to be noted that though Baba collected a lot of money by Dakshina, He would distribute the whole amount the same day and the next morning He would become a poor Fakir as usual. When Baba took His Mahasamadhi, after receiving thousands and thousands of Rupees as Dakshina for about ten years, He had only a few Rupees in His possession.

In short, Baba's main object in taking Dakshina from His devotees was to teach them the lessons of Renunciation and Purification. (Pages 80 to 82, Shri Sai Satcharita, 7th Edition 1974}

The extract from Sai Satcharita, quoted above, is quite self explanatory. It gives the origin of the Dakshina and the purpose for which it was being given by the devotees to Shri Sai Baba. The question that has been asked therein at the beginning of the passage viz. "Why should He (Shri Baba) ask for Dakshina and care for money ?" has been replied at the end of the passage thus;- "Baba's main object in taking Dakshina from His devotees was to teach them the lessons of Renunciation and purification.'

The article of Mr. B. V. Deo quoted further in continuation of the above passage reads thus:-

Mr. B. V. Deo of Thana, retired Mamlatdar, a great devotee of Baba has written an article on this subject (Daksnina) in "Shri Sai Leela" magazine, Vol. VII. P. 6-26, in which he says amongst other things, as follows _:-

"Baba did not ask Dakshina from all. If unasked, some gave Dakshina, He sometimes accepted it and at other times refused it. He asked it from certain devotees only. He never demanded it from those devotees who thought in their minds that Baba should ask them for it and then they should pay it. If anybody offered it against His wish, He never touched it, and if he kept it there, He asked him to take it away. He asked for small or big amounts from devotees according to their wish, devotion and convenience. He asked it even from women and children. He never asked all the rich for it, nor from all the poor.

"Baba never got angry with those from whom he asked Dakshina and who did not give it. If any Dakshina was sent through some friend who forgot to hand over the same to Baba He reminded him somehow of it and made him pay it. On some occasions, Baba used to return some sum from the amount tendered as Dakshina and ask the donor to guard it or keep it in his shrine for worship. This procedure benefited the donor or devotee immensely. If anybody offered more than he originally intended to give, He returned the extra amount. Sometimes He asked more Dakshina from some than what they originally intended to give and, if they had no money, asked them to beg or borrow from others. From some He demanded Dakshina three or four times a day".

"Out of the amount collected as Dakshina, Baba spent very little for His own sake, viz, for buying chillim (smoking pipe) and fuel for His Dhuni (sacred fire) and all the rest, He distributed as charity in varying proportions to various persons. All the paraphernalia of the Shirdi Samsthan was brought by various rich devotees at the instance and suggestion of Radha-Krishna-Mai. Baba always used to get wild and scolded those who brought any costly and rich articles. He said to Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar that all His property consisted of one koupin (codpiece), one stray piece of cloth, one kafni and a tumrel (tinpot), and that all the people troubled Him with bringing all these unnecessary, useless and costly articles."

Woman and wealth are the two main obstacles in the way of our Paramartha (spiritul life) and Baba had provided in Shirdi two institutions, viz. Dakshina and Radha - Krishna - Mai for whenever they came to Him, He demanded Dakshina from them and asked them to go to the 'SCHOOL' (Radha-Krishna-Mai's house). If they stood these two tests well, i.e. if they showed that they were free from attachment for Woman and Wealth, their progress in spirituality was rapid and assured by Baba's grace and blessings. (Pager 82-83, Sai Satcharita, 7th Edition 1974)

This passage throws further light on Shri Baba's Dakshina. It states from whom Shri Baba used to asked for the Dakshina and also how it was spent by Him. Similarly if some one had sent Dakshina for Him through someone, then also it was a wonder how He used to know about it and how He used to remit from the person concerned about it.

One who goes through Sai Satcharita closely is often confronted with the Dakshina asked for by Shri Baba from several devotees. The reader is therefore sometimes apt to be confused by this apparant queer behaviour of Shri Baba. If any such confusion is there in the mind of any reader, he should go through the aforesaid two passages very minutely and all his doubts in this behalf will be cleared and he will know that Shri Baba was not asking for the Dakshina for His own sake; but it was for teaching the devotee benevolance and philanthrophy and his duty towards others. ..__..